What native shrubs or small trees would provide berries or fruit for birds in the winter?
Question:
I am interested in native shrubs or small trees that would provide berries/fruit for birds in winter. What would you suggest?
Answer:
Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional
Thank you for reaching out to the UMaine Cooperative Extension with your question.Furthermore, thank you for thinking of our native birds during winter and the ways in which our planting choices can help them out.
First let me point you to our UMaine Cooperative Extension Bulletin #2500, Gardening to Conserve Maine’s Native Landscape to read all about which native plants to select in general, which non-natives to particularly avoid, and why it matters. The State of Maine also has a nice resource for planting backyard wildlife habitats here. From our bulletin list, for shrubs/small trees, I would recommend winterberry (Ilex verticillata), meadow rose (Rosa blanda), and pasture rose (Rosa carolina), all of which have pretty, persistent fruits into winter that provide food for Maine birds. There are other options for winter bird food (plants like conifers and staghorn sumac), but those will eventually be larger than the shrub/small tree level, unless you focus on smaller varieties and cultivars.